RISK! Podcast – Episode: Casualties
Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Kevin Allison
Episode Overview
In this emotionally charged episode titled “Casualties,” host Kevin Allison presents three deeply personal, raw, and intense stories of individuals who have faced devastating losses or survived harrowing ordeals. The storytellers reflect on brushes with madness, the pain of loss, and the incalculable aftermath of trauma, each wrestling with the burden and meaning of their experiences. The episode balances vulnerable storytelling with moments of dark humor, empathy, and the message that sharing our deepest truths is not only cathartic but essential.
Key Stories & Discussion Points
1. Scott Whitney – “Revelations”
[04:14–18:04]
Theme: Crisis of faith, responsibility, unintended consequences
- Setting: Scott, a lifelong Jehovah’s Witness, describes performing his ministry duties by knocking on the doors of a low-income housing project, secretly wrestling with his own wavering faith.
- Meeting Paul: He meets Paul, a man disfigured from a suicide attempt, suffering from mental illness and deep feelings of unworthiness.
- Central Experience: Scott continues return visits, sharing religious comfort despite internally doubting his beliefs. He becomes conflicted when Paul begins to withdraw and ultimately leaves a devastating voicemail, claiming Scott’s words have left him more hopeless.
- Emotional Impact: The experience leaves Scott shattered, feeling partly responsible for Paul’s worsening despair and crystallizing his own crisis of faith. The story closes with Scott’s decision to abandon both his ministry and his religious obligations.
Notable Quotes:
- “I have no doubt that God exists, and I’m equally sure that He has no interest in.”
— Paul (as quoted by Scott), [06:29] - “If this wasn’t truth, I’m as obligated to get out as I had been to stay.”
— Scott Whitney, [07:45] - “Everything you’ve been telling me… has left me more up than I have ever been. I feel so turned around and confused... please never, never stop here again.”
— Paul’s voicemail (as recounted by Scott), [16:20] - “That was the last time that I ever heard from Paul. That was the last time I ever went to anybody else’s door. And it was the last time I ever felt like I had any kind of responsibility to a God that I couldn't understand.”
— Scott Whitney, [17:37]
2. Dan Telfer – Untitled (Protests & Personal Grief)
[18:43–33:55]
Theme: Grief, rage, self-doubt, and political disillusionment
- Backdrop: Dan shares his experience as a young man coping with his brother’s suicide, surviving in the shadow of September 11th, and enduring a period of personal and societal upheaval.
- Grief & Protest: Throwing himself compulsively into anti-war protests in Chicago, Dan finds no solace, instead developing compulsive coping mechanisms (OCD-like counting, cataloging people and objects).
- Panic & Escape: During a tense protest, Dan is overcome by panic and feelings of alienation, culminating in a public breakdown as he flees the police line while other protesters are arrested.
- Reflection: He grapples with feelings of impotence about "doing nothing," guilt over not being able to achieve meaningful change, and bitterness at those who seemed to suffer less or more insincerely.
Notable Quotes:
- “Now all you assholes get what it feels like. Now I should say I didn’t think that with my whole mind…”
— Dan Telfer, [18:58] - “What if I counted every street lamp I went, and what if I touched every newspaper vending machine I walked by?... That’d keep me from thinking about the infinite blackness at the corners of my vision.”
— Dan Telfer, [22:30] - “Surely they will look at me and feel pity and they will part just enough for me to get out. They didn’t, they didn’t move an inch. So I stopped just short hitting them and I started crying and I just sobbed and I just sort of shuffled back and forth.”
— Dan Telfer, [32:25] - “Everyone who got arrested, they didn’t get on the news. The news didn’t give a shit. In fact, they didn’t change anything.”
— Dan Telfer, [33:25]
3. Janine Latus – “If I Am Missing or Dead”
[37:12–52:09; closing with song/poem]
Theme: Intimate partner violence, family tragedy, survivor’s guilt
- The Call: Janine recounts receiving a call from her sister about their youngest sister Amy’s disappearance.
- Dread & Search: Amy, previously vivacious and full of life, had grown distant since starting a new, unhealthy relationship. Family searches and hopes for a less grim outcome are dashed.
- Discovery: Amy is found murdered by her boyfriend. Janine describes the procedural and media circus, her family’s agony, and her drive to claim her sister’s body.
- Reflection: Janine expresses deep guilt—what she missed, what she failed to ask, how concealing her own pain prevented Amy from revealing her own danger. She details the abuser’s financial and emotional manipulation.
- Aftermath: The failures of justice, the communication from the abuser’s previous family, and the wish that more truth had been shared to prevent tragedy.
Notable Quotes:
- “Into the phone, I said, ‘He killed her.’ … I understood why we couldn’t think that yet, because if we thought it, maybe it would be true.”
— Janine Latus, [37:56] - “She was vulnerable, because in our culture, if you’re obese, you don’t think you have as many options as far as partners go. And only after she had lost this incredible amount of weight did she even think she deserved anybody.”
— Janine Latus, [44:38] - “And that’s what he used to tie her up in the painter’s tarp.”
— Janine Latus, [45:59] - “And Russ said, ‘Say goodbye, Amy.’ … and finally I just whispered it, I just said, goodbye, Amy.”
— Janine Latus, [47:41] - “But man, I wish we all had told you our stories.”
— Janine Latus, [49:07]
Memorable Moments
- Scott’s Inner Battle ([07:45]): The duality of feeling tied to faith for the "answers" and being paralyzed by consequences of leaving.
- Dan’s Counting Game ([22:30]): A poignant, almost absurd description of obsessive behaviors as a buffer from grief.
- Janine’s Goodbye ([47:41]): The heartbreaking call where Janine, prodded by a friend, finally says goodbye to her murdered sister, capturing the brutal necessity of closure.
Key Segment Timestamps
- [04:14] – Scott Whitney begins “Revelations.”
- [11:29] – Scott describes his ongoing visits with Paul.
- [16:20] – Paul’s devastating voicemail.
- [18:43] – Dan Telfer recounts brother’s suicide and aftermath.
- [22:30] – Dan describes OCD coping tactics at protests.
- [32:25] – Dan’s panic attack and escape from police lines.
- [37:12] – Janine Latus starts “If I Am Missing or Dead.”
- [44:38] – Janine details Amy’s vulnerability.
- [47:41] – “Say goodbye, Amy.”
- [52:09] – Janine’s epilogue; reflection on sharing stories.
Overall Tone and Message
The episode is unflinching in its exploration of trauma, regret, and the complexity of survival. The storytellers speak with a frank vulnerability, blending pain, self-deprecating humor, and wisdom earned by surviving. Kevin Allison’s commentary underscores the podcast’s ethos: sharing our most difficult stories is a vital, healing risk. The episode ultimately serves as an invitation for listeners to open up, connect, and bear witness to the hardest truths—because silence can be even more dangerous than the telling.